For over a decade, Cary woman honors troops in her front yard

A yellow ribbon wrapped around a tree is a tradition Lisa Singletary has carried out for the past 17 years.

"My heart would not let me take it down," said Singletary.

She hung the ribbon for her close friend's son, Chris Roberts, more than a decade ago. She said it was to honor Roberts after he was deployed to Iraq in 2002.

"When he went off to war, it felt like my son was also going off to war," said Singletary. "I remember making the phone call to his mother and she was very appreciative."

Then Roberts came home.

"A year later and I thought, well we have our soldier back -- but what about all the others?" Singletary explained.

After that, Singletary said she decided the ribbon wasn't coming down, and people in the neighborhood noticed.

Singletary said she refreshes the ribbon every few months by replacing it with a new one.

She doesn't plan on stopping until all troops come home.

"I have a little bit of peace. It's a little bit of meditation for me and I do say a little prayer," said Singletary.

She added that the ribbon is for all service people, support personnel and troops in the United States' military branches that are deployed in combat areas around the world.